Justin Hite, managing editor of The Pendulum student newspaper, is one of nine students nationwide to be selected for a Scripps Howard Foundation journalism study trip to Japan and South Korea.
Hite is a junior journalism and corporate communications major from Herndon, Va., who works as a sports reporter for the Burlington Times-News on the side.
The Scripps Howard Foundation awarded the 13-day journalism study trip to Japan and South Korea to nine finalists who entered its annual Roy W. Howard National Collegiate Reporting Competition.
The expenses-paid trip will be led by Dr. Brad Hamm, formerly associate dean of Elon’s School of Communications and now dean of the School of Journalism at Indiana University. Travel begins June 9 and concludes June 22 with an awards luncheon in Chicago.
Hite was nominated for the award by Dr. Glenn Scott, assistant professor of communications and faculty adviser to The Pendulum.
“No one takes on more deadline jobs with a better disposition than Justin,” Scott said. “Justin, to borrow a popular phrase from the era of Roy W. Howard, is an intrepid journalist who takes on the tough and the sensitive jobs.”
Hite has studied the Japanese language for years, with an ambition to work as a journalist in Japan.
The competition honors the memory of a journalist who led United Press International from 1912-1920 and Scripps Howard Newspapers from 1922-1953. Judith G. Clabes, president and CEO of the Scripps Howard Foundation, said the prize responds to the need for today’s student journalists to better understand international affairs.
“We are honoring the legacy of Roy Howard with this reporting award because he lived a global life as a reporter and editor long before most journalism schools taught about international reporting,” Hamm said. “These young journalists will have the opportunity of a lifetime to learn about the media and culture of Japan and South Korea.”
The nine winners were chosen for the quality of their published work and an essay about their interest in international affairs. Other recipients are from the University of Florida, University of Kansas, University of Kentucky, Louisiana State University, Hampton University, Tennessee State, Western Washington and Indiana University.